Amsterdam, Netherlands - SEO Economisch Onderzoek

3.3 The Amsterdam metropolitan area in a national innovation strategyIn the Dutch government’s economic agenda Pieken in de Delta, the North Wing (which includesthe Amsterdam metropolitan area, as well as the city region of Utrecht) is designated as one of thesix economic regions which are key for future national economic growth. The North Wing regioncontributes around one-third of total national employment, with airport Schiphol as the mostimportant economic engine of the region (MinEZ, 2004: 53). The Pieken agenda focuses on thefollowing clusters for this region: the creative industry, tourism, innovative logistics and trade,life science (including the medical cluster) and knowledge intensive business services (ibid:53-8).It acknowledges the strong knowledge infrastructure in the Amsterdam region, but outlines astrengthening of the interaction between HEIs and businesses as a key priority for the years tocome. In 2004, the government has budgeted EUR 769 million for region-oriented economicpolicy for the period 2004-08, which is replenished by another EUR 3.3 billion from theEuropean Regional Development Fund (EU-structuurfondsen). In executing its policy, thegovernment allocated large parts of this budget to the following intermediary bodies:• The Regional Development Corporations (NOM, NV Oost, BOM and LIOF);• Syntens (innovation platform which aims to promote interaction between SMEs andHEIs);• SenterNovem (agency of the ministry of Economic Affairs that aims to promotesustainable development and innovation).3.4 Regional innovation strategy of the Amsterdam metropolitan areaSince 2005 the Amsterdam metropolitan area has its own Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS).This agenda has been formulated by a collaboration of regional stakeholders such as theNetherlands Chambers of Commerce (Kamers van Koophandel), the association of SMEs, i.e.MKB, Syntens, the Amsterdamse Innovatiemotor (AIM), iMMovator, Kenniskring Amsterdam(KKA) and several others. The starting point for the RIS is that much needs to be improved in theinnovative capacity of the metropolitan region Amsterdam. As Figure 3-3 indicates, themetropolitan region indeed lagged behind the Netherlands as a whole over the period 1997-03when the innovative capacity is measured by R&D expenditures as a percentage of GDP.Moreover, R&D investment by businesses, government and education sector in Noord-Hollandshows a negative trend over this period.59